The Tasting Panel magazine

Blue Reviews e nter Keens and you may understand the defi nition of time warp. Step through the polished brass entryway into 1885 and you'll hear more tales about the place than there are cuts of USDA prime on the menu. Decorating the vari- ous dining rooms are such collectibles as Lincoln's own playbill from the night of his assassination, and a giant moose head, a gift from Teddy Roosevelt. But it isn't until you stumble upon a framed piece of fi let mignon, "dry-aged for over 75 million years," that you stop trying to fi gure out what's true and what's myth; it's just too much fun to go along for the ride. Originally a smoking club, the restaurant boasts more than 50,000 pipes, reg- istered to celebrated members such as Babe Ruth and Will Rogers, covering the dining room ceilings. The wait staff is all New York character and charm, and no plain Jane has ever survived that crew. A thousand touches make this place unique—and to top the list, an incred- ible whisk(e)y menu with which only a few Manhattan bars can compete. Tim McBride, whisk(e)y expert and spirits buyer for Keens, met with THE TASTING PANEL to share his favorites. Scotch Stop There's no doubt that because of the 250-single malt selection, many people actually come to Keens just for the scotch. While single malt drinkers tend to be more mature—and willing to pay for what they like—curious 20-somethings are eager for an education as well. "A scotch novice will start with The Glenlivet, and eventu- ally want to start tasting more complex whiskies, like Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Talisker," McBride notes. "For people who really enjoy single malt, it be- comes an obsession," In 1905, actress Lillie Langtry was refused service in the gentle- men-only club, so she took Keens to court to gain access for all women, and won her case. According to McBride, "Women that come into Keens are pretty knowledgeable about spirits and tend to choose more acces- sible whiskies with a lot of complexity, like Cragganmore and Glenmorangie." Taste Trends The rebirth of the cocktail wasn't just about gin replacing vodka; it was also about rye replacing bour- bon. McBride brought rye back to the Manhattan at Keens. "Rye brings a spice to the drink that bourbon doesn't, adding complexity to the Manhattan," he says. Old Overholt rye is the well choice at Keens because "a bourbon drinker wouldn't object to it; it bridges the gap between bourbon and rye with a nice kick of spicy oak. It's easy to work with," says McBride. Over the last decade, distillers have also been experi- menting with the fl avors people have come to expect. A single malt lover used to be able to tell where a whisky came from by the way it tasted: smoky and peaty from Islay; honey and heather, often Speyside; Lowlands, always oily. But now, "people are pushing the envelope everywhere," McBride advises, like with Benriach's Cu- riositas. It hits you with an initial sweetness characteris- tic of Speyside, but it's peated. Why are they changing it up? "They saw a way to distinguish themselves from the other Speyside distillers, which all pretty much have the same fl avor profi le," McBride opines. House Favorites Today, the popularity of Jameson Irish whiskey is phe- nomenal, making it a top-seller at Keens. "It's smooth, it's sweet, it's easy to drink, but it's not a whiskey you sit and contemplate things over, like The Glenlivet. The Glenlivet is a lot of things that Jameson is—sleek and smooth, but with fl avors you're never going to get with Jameson. It's something you savor and enjoy on a deeper level." McBride offers Keens bar patrons the cask-strength Nàdurra, his favorite Glenlivet, claiming that back in 1850, "this was how it tasted; non-chill-fi l- tered, it's The Glenlivet in its most natural state." McBride's most recent single malt crush, Glenmor- angie Astar, has "the sweetness you would expect from a bourbon, but all the subtlety and nuance you fi nd in a single malt." As with any connoisseur, McBride likes to be surprised, as he was with Longrow Campbeltown malt, a peated whisky unusual for the Springbank distillery, where it's made. "You get the characteristic oiliness, and that maritime infl uence you don't usually get with Springbank." McBride is on a mission to bring the Keens whiskey list to 300, and with 260 and counting, there are several dozen more discoveries to be made—certainly enough to keep the Keens bar in the spotlight for another hun- dred years. Bartender Jeremy LaPage. june 2009 / the tasting panel / 67 Lincoln's own playbill from the night of his assassination.

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